done deal; the Yankees have agreed a deal of $55.9 million with the bulldogs
With the Yankees continuing to reassign players to Minor League camp to create more playing time for their everyday regulars, they’ve announced three more moves today. Prior to the game, left-hander Tanner Tully was optioned to Minor League camp, and now they’ve announced both J.C. Escarra and T.J. Rumfield were sent down as well. That doesn’t mean that these players are not allowed to participate in Spring Training games, Luis Gil has already been reassigned when he pitched today in their loss against the Tampa Bay Rays.
This just clears up who will and won’t make the team, and nobody on the list of reassignments should shock anybody, considering that the Yankees weren’t adding a catcher, first baseman, or starting pitcher to their 40-man roster when nobody of significance at those positions has suffered an injury yet.
The Yankees were not going to bring in Tanner Tully to make MLB starts on Opening Day, although he did turn in a strong start against a pretty formidable New York Mets lineup earlier in the week. He was signed in Minor League free agency after returning from a brief stint in the Korean Baseball Organization, spending time with the Yankees last year as well in the first half. The southpaw is a soft-tosser who relies on command and movement over velocity to get outs, which doesn’t bode well in the modern game and is likely why he’s lower on the depth chart.
Having depth isn’t going to hurt however, and he could pitch some innings in a pinch if the Yankees were to have a worst-case scenario, which you always have to be prepared for. He has yet to make his MLB debut, with a 4.10 ERA and 3.90 FIP across 805 innings in his Minor League career. Another veteran who the Yankees scooped up in MiLB free agency was J.C. Escarra, who had played international baseball last year and spent his entire affiliated career with the Baltimore Orioles, and he has also yet to make his MLB debut.
